October 30, 2016
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), Australia’s leading organisation fighting anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms, has called on Australian bookstores selling Hitler’s Mein Kamp to provide its readers with a notice, placed either on the shelf or on the webpage advertising the memoir, about the book’s dangerous rhetoric and potential harm, as well the necessary context and information about Hitler so that they are made aware of the pernicious potential of this dark and dangerous text. The ADC also called on companies to donate all, or part of, the proceeds from the sale of Mein Kampf to the Holocaust museum.
ADC Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, issued the following statement:
“This warped, chilling book still retains a powerful appeal for anti-Semites and Neo-Nazis. It is deeply troubling to think that it provides another avenue for Hitler’s message to reach and entice a new generation of readers. We believe that all Australian bookstores offering this owe it to Hitler’s victims and survivors and have a moral responsibility to ensure that customers fully understand that what they are about to buy is the embodiment of pure evil penned by a genocidal tyrant responsible for the extermination of six million Jews and millions of others. To minimise the harm that could be caused by this abominable piece of hateful propaganda, readers must be made aware of the pernicious potential of this dark text. This could be achieved by a very visible and hard to miss notice, which the ADC could help craft, placed on the shelf next to the book or on the webpage advertising Mein Kampf, that would provide the necessary context and information about Hitler, as well as a warning about the dangerous rhetoric contained in this memoir. The notice could also alert readers to essential resources about the Holocaust. We also call on companies to donate all or part of proceeds from the sale of Mein Kampf to the Holocaust museum, an organisation that works to preserve the memory of the Shoah and educates future generations about the dangers of anti-Semitism and bigotry.”
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading civil rights organization fighting racism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on 0410 539 015
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